Starting mechanism for internal combustion engines



Y. SEKELLA 1,883,416

Oct. 18, 1932.

STARTING MECHANISM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed April 29. 1951 [N VENTOR S/ehe/l/La/ 11v.

ATTORNEY ama 18, 1932.

"UNITED. STA

IO'UBTON rss PATENT OFFICE manna, 01-11mm moms, mew roan. assrcnon 'ro ncmrsn moans: 001mm, on ma, mrw max, A conrona'rron or NEW YORK s'rn'rme ncmm sn m mrsanar. cone snort momma Application am A ril 29, 1931. Serial no. 533,083.

This invention relates to starting mechanism for internal combustion engmes .an more particularly to an automatic shift for moving a starting pinion into and out of "l mesh with a member of an engine to be startlli form of interlocking connections between the parts whereby the springs, when assembled, are held securely without the use of complicated or expensive fastening means.

. It is a. further object to provide such a de- 80 vice in which the springs may be readily inserted in place and are locked therein by the operation of assembling .the sermon the driving shaft.

Further objects and advantages will be apll parent to those skilled in this art from the 7 following description taken in connection with the accom anying drawing in which: Fig. 1 is a si eelevation of the assembled drive with parts broken away showing the to drive in its isenga'ged, or normal position;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the parts in driving position and p 'Fig. 3 is a detail showing the method of forming the interlocking terminal portions 85 of the springs. I

In Fig. 1 there is illustrated a support and power member inthe form of a driving shaft of a startingmotOr, not shown, and which is suitably mounted adjacent a member 11 such as a flywheel gear of the engine to be started. A driving member in the form of a pinion 12 is mounted freely on the shaft and is adapted to be moved into and out of engagement with the engine member 11 by longitudinal motion along the shaft 10. An

abutment member 13 suitably fixed on the shaft 10 as by means of a set screw 14 is provided to define the driving position of the a pinion 12 on the shaft 10.

10 which may be the extended'armature shaft,

Means age provided for shifting and driving the pinion 12 from the shaft 10 comprising sets of interthreaded spring members 15 and 16 anchored respectively to the pinion 12 and to an actuating member 17 fixedly mounted on the shaft 10 by suitable means such as a key 18 and set screw 19. These springs are preferably rectangular in cross section as illustrated with their larger dimensions extending radially in order that a lar e area of frictional contact may be provide therebetween and in order that they may be comparatively stifi torsionally while being relatively limber as respects compression.

In order to anchor the springs 15 to the pinion .12, the pinion is provided at its rear end with a plurality of spaced longitudinal slots 20 of suflicient width to freely accommodate the ends of said springs, and the periphery of said pinion is turned down for a distance to a diameter substantially equal to the outside diameter of said springs. A col-f v lar 21 is adapted to be forced on the annular seat so formed into engagement with a shoulder 22 formed by the end of the turned down portion, and is retained on'said seat in any suitable way as by upsetting the end portion of the pinion within an internal recess 23 of the collar 21 as illustrated at 24. The collar 21 is thus riveted in place on the pinion 12 and forms a ermanent part thereof. The anchoring en s of the springs 15 are bent radially outward and in an approximately axial direction and are cut as shown by the dotted line in Fig. 3 to form radially extending shoulders or projections 25 which are so proportioned as to be adapted to engaq; back of the collar 21 as best illustrated in ig. 2, and prevent the withdrawal of the springs from the slots 20.

The corresponding springs 16 are retained in a similar manner in slots 26 in the actuating member 17 the outturnedprojeetions 27 ly is then slid on the shaft 10 whereby said shaft revents inward movement of the ends of said springs in a direction to disengage the projections 25 thereof so that the springs are effectively interlocked with the pinion. The springs 16'are then similarly inserted in the actuating member 17, and said springs and actuating member are mounted on the shaft 10,- the springs 16 being interthreaded with springs 15 and the actuating member being .retained in position by the key 18 and set screw 19, the springs 16 being thus similarly interlocked with sand actuating member.

An anti-drift spring 29 may be provided on the shaft 10 between the abutment 13 and the pinion 12 as illustrated in order to normally retain the pinion in its idle or demeshed position.

In operation, rotation of the shaft 10 by the starting motor rotates the actuating member 17 and the springs 16 fixed thereto, whereby the pinion assembl due to its rotational inertia is pushed by t e unthreading action of the springs 15 and 16 into engagement with the flywheel gear 11. When the pinion abuts the stop member 13, further longitudinal motion thereof is arrested and it is thereupon caused to rotate from the shaft 10 through the yielding frictional connection formed by the interthreaded springs 15 and 16, thus causing the engine to be cranked.

. When the engine starts, the acceleration of by th the flywheel member 11 causes the pinion assemb y to overrun the shaft 10 and actuatin member 17 whereby the springs 15 thread themselves back into the s rings 16 and draw the pinion out of mesh wit the flywheel gear.

It will beseen that there is here provided an automatic shift embodying interthreaded springs in which the assembly requires no special tools or operations, the connections being established urely through the interlockmg relation of the parts brought about e operation of assembly.

Although but one form of the invention has 11 shown and described in detail, it will be appreciated that various other embodiments are possible and certain changes may be made in the forms and dimensions of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined hereto.

What is claimed is:

1 In an automatic starter shift, a rotatable driving member having a substantially axial slot therein, a spiral power transmittmg spring having an outturned end adapted to seat in said slot, and a shoulder thereon adapted to on said drivmg member adapted to close said slot and engage said shoulder to prevent axial withdrawal of the spring.

2. In an engine starter mechanism, a driving shaft, a driving member freely mounted thereon for movement into and out of engagement with a member of the engine to be in the claims appended project from said slot; and means.

1,eas,41e

started, and means for. actuating said drivin member from said shaft, said means inclucfi ing a spiralspring having an axially outturned end, said drivin member having a substantially axial opening adapted to receive said end, said spring having a radial projection on its terminal portion and means on'said driving member for engaging said radial projection to retain the spring in said axial opening.

3. In an enginestarter mechanism, a driving shaft, a driving member freely mounted thereon for movement into and out of engagement with a member of the engine to be started, and means for actuating said driving member from said shaft, said means including a spiral spring having an axially outturned end, said driving member having a substantially axial opening adapted to receive said end, said spring having a radial projection on its terminal portion; and a collar on said. driving member for covering said opening and engaging said radial projection to retain the spring in said axial opening.

4. In an automatic starter shift, a rotatable driving memberhaving a substantially axial slot therein, .a spiral power transmitting spring having an outturned end adapted to seat in said slot andia shoulder thereon adapted to project from said slot, means on sa d driving member adapted to close said slot and engage said shoulder to prevent axial withdrawal of the spring, a shaft adapted to form a bearing for the spring and driving member and prevent inward releasing movement of the end of the spring and means for connecting the spring to the shaft for longitudinal. movement thereof and'ro tary movement thereof and therewith.

5. In an engine starter mechanism, a driving shaft, a driving member freely mounted thereon for movement into and out of engagement with a member of the engine to be started, and means for actuating said driving member from said shaft, said means including an actuating member fixed on said shaft, said actuating member and driving member having oppositely facing slots therein, and interthreaded spiral spri gs freely mounted on said shaft with their free ends seated in said slots, said springs having radial projections on their ends, said actuating member and driving member thereon for covering said slots and engaging said projections'to prevent withdrawal of said springs.

Intestimony whereof I have signed this specification.

' YOUSTON SEKELLA.

having collars fixed 

